King Benjamin and Discipleship

I don't recall the circumstances of my coming across this talk, but it is marvelous.

King Benjamin’s Manual of Discipleship

By Elder Neal A. Maxwell
Of the Quorum of the Twelve

Neal A. Maxwell, “King Benjamin’s Manual of Discipleship,” Ensign, Jan 1992, 8

In his speech at the temple, King Benjamin taught us how to become saints through the atonement of Christ.

In the process of selecting and editing the material we now know as the Book of Mormon, the prophet-editor Mormon chose to include things he found “pleasing.” (W of M 1:4.) Nothing could have pleased him more than the remarkable sermon of King Benjamin: a sermon, said Mormon, which was “choice unto me,” among the prophesyings and revelations he found as he “searched among the records which had been delivered into [his] hands.” (W of M 1:3, 6.) How blessed we are that of the less than one-hundredth part chosen from among those abundant records, Benjamin’s sermon was included by Mormon, who knew that these words would be equally choice unto his latter-day brethren. (See W of M 1:6.)

Standing at a point in history centuries after both King Benjamin’s sermon and that great epochal event—the coming of Christ to a small group in the Western Hemisphere—Mormon had a keen appreciation for Benjamin’s timeless and relevant sermon. In fact, he regarded Benjamin as “a holy man.” (W of M 1:17.)

In addition to witnessing to the realities of the Heavenly King and of Jesus’ role as Savior, King Benjamin’s remarkable sermon gives us a unique view of how this prophet-king understood the developmental process of serious discipleship. By following its key precepts, the faithful are lovingly counselled in the path of righteousness. Benjamin’s speech reveals the nature of divine discipleship as it can be displayed only by one who has become a saint through the atoning blood of Christ.

Casting off the natural man and struggling to become a follower of Christ is the disciple’s first step. It is delineated by Benjamin with a specificity and intensity that make this sermon one of the greatest on record.

“For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.” (Mosiah 3:19.)

By juxtaposing these lines from Benjamin’s sermon with the Savior’s words concerning the childlikeness required to enter the celestial kingdom, we are admitted into a wondrous but demanding realm of understanding regarding developmental discipleship: “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 18:3.)

We can begin to sense the specific demands of discipleship in terms of the virtues Benjamin encourages his listeners to develop: meekness, humility, patience, love, spiritual submissiveness.

Presumably, Alma the younger, a few decades later, read and memorized King Benjamin’s words. Speaking spontaneously to the wicked people of Ammonihah, he said,

“But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering.” (Alma 13:28.)

Alma added the quality of being “long-suffering” (see also Alma 7:23), but otherwise Benjamin’s developmental directions stand before us in arresting clarity.

Imprisoned and abused by misused political, judicial, and military power, Joseph Smith was similarly told in Liberty Jail about the qualities God desires in his leaders and people: such qualities as persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, love unfeigned, and kindness. (See D&C 121:41–42.)

Hence we see the need to allow for those times in our lives when God utilizes tutorial suffering in order to further such specific individual development.

Granted, it is a “hard saying” to point out the need for such spiritual submissiveness. Yet Peter so preached as to the shaping role of suffering and adversity:

“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

“Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

“Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.” (1 Pet. 4:12, 16, 19; emphasis added.)

Certain afflictions and temptations are the common lot of mankind: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man” (1 Cor. 10:13); “The same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world” (1 Pet. 5:9). Additionally, however, there are tutorial sufferings of the innocent, as both Benjamin and Peter declare. (See Mosiah 3:19; 1 Pet. 4:12.) There is “undeserved” agony. There is “unearned” anguish which is unrelated to error, and which the disciple will experience.

Even so, the Christian knows he is in the hands of a merciful but tutoring God whose intent is that for developmental and salvational reasons, the disciple be “added upon.” Benjamin repeatedly cites the goodness, love, long-suffering, and mercy of God. True prophets have always understood the character and attributes of God. “And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.” (Ex. 34:6.)

In his address (see Mosiah 2), Benjamin, who once wielded the sword of Laban in battle for his people and who is an authentic military and political hero, demonstrates that he is resolutely and consistently unconcerned with the “perks” of office. He is determined to remain to the end a leader-servant. He even encourages others to equate service to their fellowman with service to their God. (See Mosiah 2:17.) With unquestioned, on-the-record humility, Benjamin justifiably describes himself as a servant-king. (See Mosiah 2:18.)

Who could more candidly do what Benjamin did in reminding us of the generous blessings of God, which are so abundant that even if we render full service to Him, yet we are “unprofitable servants”? (Mosiah 2:21.)

At first reading, these last words may sound harsh, depreciating, and discouraging, for surely our service to God is significant. But when our service is compared with our blessings, an “outside audit,” said Benjamin in effect, would show us ever to be in arrears. “Catching up” by giving more service does not change the balance, either, because a merciful God, just as soon as we obey or render such service, “doth immediately bless” us. Thus, we are even further in debt to our Heavenly Father. (Mosiah 2:24.) Furthermore, our service is made possible by the elements which make up our natural bodies, but these belong to God, who also gives us breath from moment to moment.

The stage is thus set by Benjamin for urging us to render to God all that we have, through the consecration of our time and our talents and ourselves to God and to our fellowman. Then, if we really consecrate ourselves to Him, that consecrated self will be in the steady process of becoming like the Savior, attribute by attribute. This objective—knowing and becoming like the Master—is at the heart of King Benjamin’s valedictory address.

We are next reminded of the “awful situation” we will experience if, having spiritual knowledge, we then engage in “open rebellion.” (Mosiah 2:37, 40.) For such individuals, even the mercy of a perfectly merciful God can have no claim. (See Mosiah 2:39.) So we see that while the gospel gives us needed identity, it also brings severe accountability.

King Benjamin described how crucial scriptural records are in establishing such accountability. (See Mosiah 2:34.) Through sacred records, disciples become aware of the commandments of God and of the testimonies of leaders, present and past. When straying disciples transgress, they are, in effect, going “contrary to [their] own knowledge.” (See Mosiah 2:33.)

In this respect, what of the current generation of Latter-day Saints, blessed as we are with the convenient new publications of the scriptures? Are we safe from the indictment of our predecessors who took the Book of Mormon “lightly”? (See D&C 84:54, 57.)

By studying Mosiah chapter 3, we learn that an angel had actually instructed and tutored King Benjamin concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth to dwell, to perform miracles, to serve, and to suffer. King Benjamin was even given a highly privileged revelation concerning the name of that Savior, Jesus Christ, as well as the name of his mother, Mary. (See Mosiah 3:8.)

Yet, alas, declared King Benjamin, those living during the time of Jesus’ mortal Messiahship and later would still consider the King of Kings, Christ, merely a man. (See Mosiah 3:9.) King Benjamin stressed that though some, in gross ignorance, would crucify Jesus Christ, He bears the only name under heaven whereby people can be saved.

The judgment of God will focus particularly on those who are accountable, as contrasted with those who have ignorantly sinned. (See Mosiah 3:11.) Happily, all who have been knowledgeable and who have engaged in open rebellion can repent.

The only exception to the repentance process King Benjamin made was for little children:

“I say unto you, that there are not any among you, except it be your little children that have not been taught concerning these things, but what knoweth that ye are eternally indebted to your heavenly Father, to render to him all that you have and are; and also have been taught concerning the records which contain the prophecies which have been spoken by the holy prophets, even down to the time our father, Lehi, left Jerusalem.” (Mosiah 2:34.)

“Little children … are blessed; for behold, as in Adam, or by nature, they fall, even so the blood of Christ atoneth for their sins.” (Mosiah 3:16.)

“And behold, when that time cometh, none shall be found blameless before God, except it be little children, only through repentance and faith on the name of the Lord God Omnipotent.” (Mosiah 3:21.)

This same distinction appears elsewhere in the Book of Mormon, drawing a clear distinction between children who are not accountable and mature disciples.

The Book of Mormon’s inveighing so powerfully against infant baptism stems from disputations about that doctrine in the final hours of the Nephite world. By the time of Mormon’s significant scolding concerning that doctrine (Moro. 8), infant baptism had contemporaneously become official in the late Roman Empire. Doubtless some of what was preserved in the Book of Mormon was thus anticipatory of the need to correct this errancy and to understand the truly marvelous atonement of Jesus Christ, as Benjamin years before had so clearly proclaimed it.

The act of becoming a man or woman of Christ is an act of will and sustained desire. Hence, it could not be expected of little children, though childlike teachability is essential.

Upon hearing King Benjamin’s words (see Mosiah 3), which up to this point were apparently given to Benjamin by the Lord through an angel (Mosiah 3:23; Mosiah 4:1), the multitude began to exercise faith in a Savior who was yet to come, as compared with mortals today, who exercise faith in a Savior who has come. The listening and responsive multitude actually received, because of their faith, a remission of their sins. (See Mosiah 4:3.) They believed, had joy, received a remission of their sins, obtained thereby a peace of conscience, and had strong faith. The response to this remarkable sermon was thus most extraordinary.

Next, King Benjamin instinctively instructed those who had thus felt and known the “goodness of God” and who had been awakened to their sense of comparative “nothingness.” (See Mosiah 4:5–30.) Their feelings were apparently not unlike those Moses experienced when he realized that man, compared with God, was “nothing,” which thing he “never had supposed.” (Moses 1:10.)

King Benjamin extolled, again and again, the goodness of God, his matchless power, his wisdom, and his long-suffering. These citings are all the more directional and significant, precisely because we are to strive to become like God and his Son—attribute by attribute—in our discipleship. Once more, the specific, cardinal virtues of the disciple are held before our gaze by Benjamin.

Mosiah 4:9 is a splendid sermonette within the longer sermon:

“Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.” (Mosiah 4:9.)

What a powerful invitational statement! It is a testimony as to the reality of the existence of an omnipotent and omniscient God, whom man can trust but not match in intellect or causality. Isaiah would have been proud of Benjamin’s declaration, for Isaiah similarly stated: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa. 55:9.) Benjamin’s entreaty was given by a king whose very life underwrote the eloquent sermon by the eloquence of his personal example.

King Benjamin reminded the audience that since they had come to have a knowledge of God and of his goodness, and since they had tasted of his love, all this must lead to praying daily, to being steadfast in the faith, to rejoicing always, to being filled always with the love of God, and to retaining a remission of their sins. (See Mosiah 4:11–12.) Having experienced a blessed remission once, having “felt to sing the song of redeeming love” (Alma 5:26), one could scarcely go through life happy unless that remission was, in fact, retained.

So Benjamin—in words which focus on the first and second great commandments—hopes that his followers will grow in the knowledge of the glory of God and will grow in the knowledge that God is just and true.

Again, the specific praise of God for his divine attributes is significant, coming from King Benjamin, because his praise is also a prescription about the attributes which the followers themselves must develop. (See Mosiah 4:12.) Christianity is thus so much more than a phase-one experience, however special such an initiating experience can be.

The manner in which the complete Christian will live is then set forth earnestly by King Benjamin. (See Mosiah 4:13–16.) The complete Christian will have no mind to injure, will live peaceably, will render to others justly, and will care for his or her children, also teaching them to love and to serve one another and to succor the needy. Such a Christian will not turn beggars away, because, as Benjamin declared earlier, we are all beggars, totally dependent upon God for all that we have.

King Benjamin holds up as a paradigm the generosity of God, which, in turn, should lead us to be generous to others. (See Mosiah 4:21.)

A practical man, Benjamin also observed that some are too poor to give, but he affirms that they would if they could. (See Mosiah 4:24.) Good intentions weigh in, as well as good actions. The king even linked our retention of the remission of sins to our subsequent efforts to aid the needy, both spiritually and temporally. (See Mosiah 4:26.)

Finally, as a leader-servant, “full of years” and rich in experience, wise Benjamin urged the people to pace themselves in the arduous journey of discipleship. Things should be done in “wisdom and order,” as well as with diligence:

“And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.” (Mosiah 4:27.)

This is not unlike the counsel given by the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith in our time: “Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength and means provided to enable you to translate; but be diligent unto the end.” (D&C 10:4.)

This anxious leader, a warrior-king-prophet, giving his last great speech to his people, urged them in conclusion to watch themselves, their thoughts, their deeds, their words, and to keep the commandments, being faithful to the end. (Mosiah 4:30.) The life of discipleship requires continuous watchfulness in all dimensions of life.

In Mosiah 5, after the record of the sermon has ended, these words show how concerned this communicator-king was to know whether or not he had been effective as a teacher:

“And now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had thus spoken to his people, he sent among them, desiring to know of his people if they believed the words which he had spoken unto them.” (Mosiah 5:1.)

Benjamin was not an “I told you so” leader. He was genuinely concerned with whether or not his words had been received and applied. He also recognized the role of the family in teaching and implementing the commitments of discipleship. (See Mosiah 2:5–6; Mosiah 6:3.) He apparently did as the Savior did when He taught intensively and then directed His hearers to go and discuss with their families that which had been taught. (See 3 Ne. 17:3.)

Finally, Benjamin concluded that those who are ready should take upon themselves the name of Christ, covenanting to be obedient to the end of their lives. (See Mosiah 5:8.)

Those estranged from Christ will not know the Master whom they have not served; Jesus will have been “far from the thoughts and intents of [their] heart.” (See Mosiah 5:13.)

From a prophet-king who knew the Savior and who was blessed with much revelation from Him came the desire that His followers be “steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works” so that by Christ, the Lord God, they could “be brought to heaven.” (Mosiah 5:15.)

Benjamin probably knew his reassuring and steadying words would be preserved for faithful disciples in the last days, living in a world in which “all things shall be in commotion” (D&C 45:26; D&C 88:91) and yet standing fast in holy places (D&C 45:32).

Without question, King Benjamin’s sermon is one of the most remarkable in all of holy writ. No wonder Mormon was impressed to include this sermon among the precious records he preserved in his inspired abridgment.

Nor is it surprising that Mormon would, in addition to being impressed with the words of King Benjamin, be impressed with the quality of the man himself:

“For behold, king Benjamin was a holy man, and he did reign over his people in righteousness; and there were many holy men in the land, and they did speak the word of God with power and with authority; and they did use much sharpness because of the stiffneckedness of the people—

"Wherefore, with the help of [the holy prophets who were among his people], king Benjamin, by laboring with all the might of his body and the faculty of his whole soul, and also the prophets, did once more establish peace in the land.” (W of M 1:17–18.)

Unafraid of death, Benjamin even anticipated joining the “choirs above in singing the praises of a just God.” (Mosiah 2:28.) As noted by Benjamin, many of the things spoken in the sermon were “made known unto [him] by an angel from God” who stood before King Benjamin, bringing “glad tidings of great joy” (Mosiah 3:2–3), since the forthcoming of the Messiah was “not far distant,” the time when “the Lord Omnipotent … shall come down from heaven among the children of men” (Mosiah 3:5).

King Benjamin declared what “was made known … by an angel from God” regarding the infinite sacrifice and suffering of the Savior in behalf of all mankind. (Mosiah 3:2.) Christ, he said, would suffer “more than man can suffer …; for behold, blood cometh from every pore.… For behold, … his blood atoneth for the sins of those who have fallen by the transgression of Adam.” (Mosiah 3:7, 11.)

Benjamin’s testimony stands as an everlasting witness that Christ’s blood is efficacious for the salvation of mankind. That testimony also is a rebuttal to the ancient and modern heresy that Christ’s atoning blood is insufficient to save mankind.

Thus, Benjamin spoke only “the words which the Lord God [had] commanded” him. (Mosiah 3:23.)

As a result, Benjamin’s words stood “as a bright testimony” for his immediate audience (Mosiah 3:24), as they stand for all of us, too. We and those yet to come are a part of the ever-enlarging audience to whom that special sermon was given. May we be touched by it spiritually, as those who first heard it were!

Do Good Continually

I just read this at lunch today. I thought it was a pretty good discussion of conversion.

A Disposition to Do Good Continually

Spencer J. Condie

Spencer J. Condie was a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy when this devotional address was given on 9 February 2010.

As a little boy, a favorite activity in my grandparents’ home was climbing upon my grandfather’s lap to have him read children’s stories from the Book of Mormon. Grandpa Condie read slowly and deliberately, and I felt the spirit of the Book of Mormon and easily associated the Savior’s love for me as Grandpa lovingly held me close to him.

One of my favorite stories was the account of venerable King Benjamin, who called upon all of his loyal subjects to gather around the temple, where he would give them his parting counsel. He reminded the people four times that he had received the text of his talk from an angel of the Lord, and the speech he delivered is one of the greatest in all of holy writ (see Mosiah 3:2, 4:1, 4:11, 5:5).

At the heart of King Benjamin’s benedictory address was the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Though the Savior would not be born on earth for another 124 years, King Benjamin spoke “as though [Christ] had already come among them” (Mosiah 3:13; see also 2 Nephi 25:26; Jarom 1:11; Mosiah 16:6).

He described the Savior’s future earthly mission in detail, of how He would

suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.

And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary.

And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name. [Mosiah 3:7–9]

As Benjamin concluded the sermon given him by an angel, the multitude fell to the earth as they

viewed themselves in their own carnal state.... And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins...; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. [Mosiah 4:2]

Filled with Joy

And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins. [Mosiah 4:3]

Being “filled with joy” is one of the reassuring hallmarks that we have received a remission of our sins. Alma taught that “wickedness never was happiness” (Alma 41:10), and this statement is akin to the predictability of the law of gravity. It is virtually impossible to be filled with joy while we are entertaining evil thoughts or wicked practices.

Alma taught the inhabitants of Zarahemla that a mighty change of heart should be reflected by the image of Christ in their countenances (see Alma 5:14). Now, some of us—myself included—were born with a face only a mother could love; but it can still be a happy face.

As a beauty I’m not a great star.
There are others more handsome by far,
But my face, I don’t mind it,
Because I’m behind it—
’Tis the folks in the front that I jar.
[Anthony Henderson Euwer, “My Face,” in Rhymes of Our Valley (New York: James B. Pond, 1916), 92]

One of the signs of having received a remission of sins is a joyful heart and a cheerful countenance.

Peace of Conscience

A second sign of receiving a remission of sins is reflected by the “peace of conscience” that Benjamin’s people experienced “because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come” (Mosiah 4:3).

As an old man, my list of past sins is so long that I cannot begin to remember them all. But the list is so long I can’t forget them all either. But I can remember them with a peace of conscience.

Filled with the Love of God

Benjamin assured his listeners that

as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins ...

[then] ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins. [Mosiah 4:11–12; emphasis added]

Hearts filled with love become a third confirmation that our sins are forgiven.

A heart filled with love has no room for discouragement, doubt, fear, hatred, vengeance, envy, lust, or greed, because a heart full of love is full.

No Mind to Injure

King Benjamin described a fourth indicator of retaining a remission of our sins, and that is that we “will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably” (Mosiah 4:13; emphasis added). Not having a mind to injure one another is reflected by our overcoming even the very inclination to put others down, to tell jokes defaming a given ethnic group, or to speak of a roommate or a spouse or any others in unflattering terms.

Brother David M. Sorensen has been engaged in counseling and marital therapy for many years. He once told me he has seen hateful, hurtful marriage relationships “turn on a dime” when couples merely agree to be kind to each other for a day, a week, a month, and then a lifetime.

Teach Our Children

A fifth hallmark of retaining a remission of our sins is that

[we] will not suffer [our] children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will [we] suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another....

But [we] will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; [we] will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another. [Mosiah 4:14–15]

The Wadsworths of Panaca, Nevada

Franklin Don Wadsworth was an enterprising young man from Nevada who met a lovely young woman from Salt Lake City by the name of Sylvia Hinckley. They were soon married, and they were blessed with 11 children: seven sons and four daughters. When the youngest son, David, was seven years of age, his lovely mother died suddenly at age 49. Notwithstanding this tragic and untimely loss, the Wadsworth children rallied around their heartbroken father, providing great comfort to him and to each other. Then, just 17 months later, not long after David was baptized, his father died at age 56, leaving eight unmarried children at home.

The relatives counseled together, and it was decided that one uncle and his wife would take some of the children into their home and another uncle and aunt would care for the rest of the children in their home.

At this point the Wadsworth children met in family council, with the oldest son, Franklin Brent, taking charge. The children unanimously agreed that their deceased parents would not want them to be separated and unable to see each other frequently during their formative years. Their parents had taught them to serve one another and to be responsible for one another, so they declined any outside help. The members of the extended family agreed to stand back and let them give it a try.

Lark was in her third year in high school, and the school allowed her to take all of her classes early in the day so she would be home in time to welcome the younger children when they arrived home from school. Valerie was in the process of graduating from college, and she found a job nearby and helped with the younger children for the first year. Scott was a returned missionary, and he worked the family farm and commuted to Cedar City, where he attended college.

All of the children eventually went to college, and all of the sons served missions. When only two children—David, then 14, and Charlotte, then 17— remained living at home, they were invited by their older sister Terry and her husband, Lorell Bleak, to live with their family.

Though Don and Sylvia Wadsworth were snatched from their mortal existence pre-maturely, they had taught their children by precept and example that true joy comes from loving and serving others and placing the needs of others above their own. Now in post-mortality Don and Sylvia claim a rich posterity of 106 grandchildren and 80 great-grandchildren.

Succor Those in Need

A sixth measure of our remission of sins, according to King Benjamin, is that we “will succor those that stand in need of [our] succor,” that we “impart of [our] substance to the poor,... feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief” (Mosiah 4:16, 26). In this regard, giving generous fast offerings and emulating the lifelong ministry of our beloved President Thomas S. Monson readily come to mind.

Do Good Continually

At the conclusion of King Benjamin’s forthright counsel, the people

all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us ... because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually. [Mosiah 5:2; emphasis added]

This is the test of retaining a remission of our sins: we overcome any inclination to do evil, supplanting it with a sustained disposition to do good continually. This is the demonstration of discipleship.

The Savior humbly testified: “I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me,... I do always those things that please him” (John 8:28–29). His was a disposition to do good continually.

Now, some contend that because Christ was the Son of God He was exempt from temptation, but that belief is contrary to the scriptural record of His earthly ministry. We are all aware of His temptations by Satan after fasting for 40 days in the wilderness (see Matthew 4:1–11). And just prior to entering the Garden of Gethsemane, he expressed His gratitude to Peter, James, and John, who, said the Savior, “have continued with me in my temptations” (Luke 22:28).

The Apostle Paul wrote of Jesus Christ, who “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Alma foresaw the Savior “suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind ... that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities” (Alma 7:11–12).

How was the Savior able to resist and transcend all these temptations of the flesh? We read in Doctrine and Covenants 20:22: “He suffered temptations but gave no heed unto them.” Because of the Savior’s divine disposition to do good continually, no temptation nor bitter cup could distract Him or dissuade Him from performing His divine mission.

The well-known British cleric Frederic Farrar observed:

The only difference between the temptations of Christ and our own is that His came from without, but ours come also from within. In Him “the tempting opportunity” could not appeal to “the susceptible disposition.” [Frederic William Farrar, The Life of Lives: Further Studies in the Life of Christ (London: Cassell and Company, 1900), 251; emphasis added]

Our goal in life should be to overcome the susceptible disposition.

The Pulling Power of Covenants

Within the restored kingdom of God on earth, the making and keeping of covenants is a central doctrine and practice with a divine purpose in helping us develop a disposition to do good continually. Covenants are the promises to keep the Lord’s commandments, and they are an integral part of gospel ordinances. The word ordinance shares etymological roots with the word order, and so it is that ordinances help order our lives in such a way that we prioritize the use of our time, our means, and our talents in serving Heavenly Father’s other children and assisting in the building of His kingdom. It is through the ordinances of the priesthood that the powers of godliness are manifest unto men in the flesh. (See D&C 84:19–21.)

Captain Moroni declared: “I, Moroni, am constrained, according to the covenant which I have made to keep the commandments of my God” (Alma 60:34). There is a pulling power inherent in keeping covenants, a power that pulls us onward and ever upward toward our celestial home. It is not only important but also indispensable that we frequently renew our covenants in sacrament meeting and in the temple, reminding us of the Lord’s “exceeding great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4) contingent upon our obedience to His commandments.

Covenants are kept when we feel the promises we renew. It is then that doing good continually no longer becomes a tedious task but rather a daily delight.

President David O. McKay was fond of reminding the Saints:

Sow a thought, and you reap an act;
Sow an act, and you reap a habit;
Sow a habit, and you reap a character;
Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.
[Quoted by Samuel Smiles (1812–1904) in Life and Labor (1887)]

Heiko Mazurek

Twenty-five years ago Heiko Mazurek was a young German music student in Vienna, Austria. One day he was walking down the street when a Book of Mormon display caught his eye. So he stopped to talk with the missionaries, and they gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon. He began to read it and to accept the missionary discussions. Eventually he was baptized.

Shortly after his baptism he moved back to his home in Germany to accept a teaching position in a music school. As the mission president at the time, I was concerned that a new convert might get lost in the shuffle of moving away so shortly after baptism. I called Heiko’s new stake president and asked him if he could give Heiko some special attention to assure that he remained active and committed to the kingdom.

A few weeks after Heiko’s arrival in Germany, his caring stake president invited him to travel three hours by train to a Saturday stake priesthood meeting to share his conversion story with the brethren. Heiko accepted the invitation with much fear and trepidation.

He’d never spoken to a large audience before, so the evening prior to his appointed speech Heiko spent a rather sleepless night tossing and turning. When the alarm clock finally rang, he turned it off and promised himself he would just sleep for a few more minutes and then get up. (Does this sound familiar?) However, he was so exhausted from his fitful night’s sleep that he awoke too late to catch the last morning train in time to arrive at the stake center to give his talk.

He hurriedly dressed and rode his bike to the small airport outside of town, and although he was a financially struggling musician, he chartered a small plane for $400 to fly him to his destination.

The stake president phoned me in Vienna after the meeting and described how Heiko had arrived all out of breath, but he gave a wonderful and inspiring testimony, and all in attendance were grateful for the sacrifice he had made to attend.

Several months later Heiko visited us in Vienna, and he recounted his experience of chartering a plane to the priesthood meeting. When he concluded, I asked: “Heiko, why didn’t you just call up President Rueckauer and tell him you would not be able to make it to the meeting and that you would be willing to speak on some future occasion?”

Heiko looked at me indignantly as he said: “President Condie, when the missionaries taught me the gospel, they explained the importance of commitments and of making covenants, and they said that when we make a promise to the Lord or one of His servants, we are expected to keep our word.” (See Spencer J. Condie, In Perfect Balance [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2004], 127–29.) To this day Heiko continues striving to do good continually, and Church members still introduce him to their nonmember friends as “the legendary guy with the airplane.”

The Prodigal’s Brother

The parable of the prodigal son illustrates in bold relief a wide variety of human dispositions. First there is the self-centered prodigal son unconcerned with anyone or anything but himself. But, alas, after riotous living he discovered for himself that “wickedness never was happiness,” and “he came to himself” (Luke 15:17). He eventually realized whose son he was, and he yearned to be reunited with his father.

His arrogant, selfish disposition had given way to humility and a broken heart and contrite spirit as he confessed to his father: “I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son” (Luke 15:21). Gone were the adolescent rebellion, the immature selfishness, and relentless pleasure seeking, and in their place was an embryonic disposition to do good continually. Now, if we are completely honest with ourselves, we will each confess that there is, or has been, a bit of the prodigal son in every one of us.

Then there is the father. Some may criticize him for having been overly indulgent in granting the younger son’s request to “give me the portion of goods that falleth to me” (Luke 15:12). The father in the parable was undoubtedly sensitive to the divine principle of moral agency and freedom of choice, a principle over which the premortal War in Heaven had been waged. He was not inclined to compel his son to be obedient.

But this loving father never gave up on his wayward son, and his unrelenting vigilance is confirmed in the poignant narration that when the son “was yet a great way off, his father ... had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). Not only was there an open display of physical affection toward his son, but the father requested his servants to give him a robe, shoes for his feet, and a ring for his hand and instructed them to kill the fatted calf, joyfully declaring, “He was lost, and is found” (Luke 15:24).

Throughout the years this father had   continually developed such a compassionate, forgiving, loving disposition that he could do nothing else but love and forgive. This parable is a universal favorite for all of us because it holds out the hope to each one of us that a loving Father in Heaven stands in the roadway, as it were, anxiously awaiting the arrival of each of His prodigal children back home.

And now to the older, obedient son who protested to his forgiving father:

Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:

But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. [Luke 15:29–30]

Just as there may be an element of the prodigal son in each of us, it may also be the case that every one of us is tainted with traits of the older son. The Apostle Paul described the fruit of the Spirit as “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, [and] temperance” (Galatians 5:22–23). While it may well be that the older son had, indeed, been obedient to his father, beneath the obedient surface was seething subterranean self-righteousness and a disposition to be judgmental, covetous, and totally lacking in compassion. His life did not reflect the fruit of the Spirit, for he was not at peace but rather greatly distressed at what he perceived to be a gross inequity of treatment.

Judged After Our Ways

The mighty prophet Ezekiel taught that if a righteous man

trust to his own righteousness, and [then] commit iniquity, all his [righteous acts] shall not be remembered....

But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.

Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal [or equitable]. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways. [Ezekiel 33:13, 19–20; emphasis added]

This great prophet taught the people that the Righteous Judge of us all is not computing a running total of all our good deeds from which all of our evil deeds will be subtracted. Rather, we will be judged “after [our] ways”—our way of life and our dispositions to do either good or evil (see Ezekiel 18:21–27, 33:13–20.)

In 2005 the CEO of a large business corporation was sentenced to 25 years in prison for defrauding his company and its shareholders of $11 billion. His defense attorney pointed out that over the years his client had contributed $95 million to charitable causes, and then he asked the judge: “If you live 60-some-odd years, if you have an unblemished record, if you have endless numbers of people who attest to your goodness, doesn’t that count?” (Bernard Ebbers’ defense lawyer Reid Weingarten, in Erin McClam, “WorldCom’s Ebbers Weeps at 25-Year Sentence,” Associated Press, 13 July 2005; http://iinternational.org/showCnews.php?id=70&referrence=page%3D65).

Ezekiel would likely respond that, actually, those good deeds do not count for much, because overshadowing all of the good deeds of the distant past—like the mission in Taiwan or Texas—are the more egregious, dark deeds of the recent past. King Benjamin would perhaps share the observation that this particular individual still had an unfettered disposition to do evil on a grand scale. He had inflicted great suffering upon numerous employees, shareholders, and clients whose trust had been betrayed at a terrible personal cost to each of them. In the process of becoming, he had become a crook.

As a second prophetic voice, Elder Dallin H. Oaks teaches us that testimony involves believing and feeling, whereas conversion includes doing and becoming. To quote Elder Dallin H. Oaks:

The Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have become. [“The Challenge to Become,” Ensign, November 2000, 32; emphasis in original]

Brother Wakolo’s Disciple’s Soul

While serving in the South Pacific, I received a letter from the First Presidency with an assignment to travel to Fiji and deliver a letter to Taniela Wakolo, president of the Nausori Fiji Stake. After I handed the letter to him, he read aloud the call from the First Presidency to serve as an Area Seventy, and tears flowed freely from his cheeks and those of his lovely wife, Anita.

After discussing with him the nature and duties of his new calling, I observed the tattoo on Brother Wakolo’s large right hand. Now, tattoos are very common throughout the South Pacific, and long before he joined the Church, Taniela Wakolo had the back of his hand tattooed with a large, garish design.

I said: “Brother Wakolo, in your new calling as an Area Seventy, you are going to be speaking to the youth on many occasions. I would suggest before such meetings that you put a large Band-Aid on the back of your hand to cover your tattoo. It’s hard to discourage our youth from getting tattoos when the speaker has one himself.”

He smiled a broad smile, and with a radiant expression he said, “I’ll take care of it. I want to be a good example.”

A few weeks passed, and the next time we met, his hand was heavily bandaged as if he were preparing for a boxing match. I asked, “What in the world happened to you?”

He smiled with glistening eyes and said, “I followed your counsel and had the tattoo removed.”

“Was it laser surgery?” I asked.

“No,” he replied with a big smile, “they don’t remove tattoos with lasers in Fiji. I had it surgically cut out.”

A month later Elder Wakolo and I were assigned together to reorganize a stake presidency in American Samoa. As we met at the airport, I immediately noticed an unsightly scar on the back of his hand where the surgeon had removed several square inches of skin and then very crudely sutured the gaping wound closed. This had not been performed by a plastic surgeon.

I apologized for having been the cause of the large scar on the back of his hand. He responded with a radiant Christlike countenance: “Not to worry, President Condie; this is my CTR ring. Now the Lord knows where I stand! I’ll do anything the Lord asks of me.”

Elder Wakolo has become a disciple who keeps his covenants and strives to do good continually.

My precious young brothers and sisters, I invoke the blessings of heaven upon each and every one of you of the rising generation and pray that your righteous thoughts and deeds will overcome any susceptible disposition to do evil and that the Holy Spirit will be your constant companion in helping you to develop a disposition to do good continually, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.